A Lesson of Exclusivity from the Cheapest Night-Club of Europe

In a market in which always more Luxury Night-Clubs maintain their status only thanks to their exclusivity, the link between the words “Luxury” and “Exclusive” seems to be unbreakable. If we already spoke about what is Luxury in 2016, could you be able to answer to the questions “What exclusivity is nowadays?” and “How a Brand can create and maintain exclusivity?”

In the years all the most Exclusive Night-Clubs tried to create the Desire through stunning interiors, prohibitive prices policy, party promotion through bowed down media, guest-list of fashionable and rich people. All to create queues of common humans coming in to spend their only 50€ for 2 long-drinks with the illusion of partying with a multimillionaire or a star of the show-business.

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(Bar Room, Cavalli Club, Dubai)

The $30 million cost of the interiors of Cavalli Club in Dubai, the 20.000$ minimum fee to sit on a table of the Pangea Club in Singapore or the dreamy guest-list full of Hollywood Stars of Avenue Club in NY are only few indicators of which are the drivers of exclusivity in this market.

But are we sure that luxury night-club are really the best in class in creating and maintaining the exclusivity gold halo?

In an ex powerhouse situated in the East-Berlin industrial district, find its place a Night-Club that had turned-down the rules behind the connection between Exclusivity and Luxury in the nightlife industry.

Born in 1998 as a Night-Club with strong Gay-Fetish imprint, Berghain Club become in the years one of the best underground night-club of the world, being able to recreate week-end after week-end a constant 2/3 hours queue of people with the only desire to exceed the selection and pass from the freezing 4 A.M Berlin cold to the internal warm and powerful vibe.

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(Particular of the Interior, Berghain Club, Berlin)

Iron, Concrete and Techno music elegantly mixed according to the rules of the industrial style, No shining interiors, No Prive, No Tables with Entreneuse, No Photos, No Videos, No Advertising, No Journalists, NO GUEST-LISTS, NO VIP PREFERENCE.

A Club that has been able in the years to remain anchored to his Heritage and his Values, don’t allowing to VIP like Britney Spears to pay the only 13€ entry-fee because “unfitting with the vibe of the club”.

The Club Exclusiveness is ingrained in the person of “Sven Marquardt”, historical bouncer of the German Night-Club, that with the dramatic features of a Dantesque character decides each night who has the right vibe to overcome the velvet rope. How Mr. Marquardt explained in many interviews, the selection is not based on social status, fame, sexuality, gender, nationality, esthetic appearance or clothes, but only on the shining of the people eyes in front of the door.

(Sven Marquardt, Berghain Club Bouncer, Photo credit: Handout)

So also with a Black Mastercard in your wallet, or you name printed on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, you will freeze in the long queue outside the club with curious, tourists, homosexual, heterosexual, techno lovers and normal people searching for strong emotions.

Let’s spend a minute thinking on for how many products, services or persons in this world is not still valid the sentence “Money can buy everything” ? Berghain selection process became so famous and iconic that on google.com is possible to find guides that try to explain all the tips about what to dress, how to act and the best hours to be selected.

(Sunday morning 5 A.M Queue, Berghain Club, Berlin)

There is really something romantic but also business oriented behind this policy, it is not only about creation of desire and sense of mystery. Every night Marquard protect and reinforce the Heritageof the Club and its exclusivity. Differently from the general trends of the Night-life industry, at Berghain exclusivity find his drivers not on prohibitive prices or limited entries and VIP policies, but in respect and love for diversity and social parity, passion for music as an art expression and endless care to the quality of each person experience.

People that superficially define Berghain Club as the “Superclub of sexy poors” (Danilo Taino, Corriere della Sera, 16 ottobre 2010) did not catch the essence of how this Night-Club approached the Night-Life Business: being disruptive and breaking the link between Luxury and Exclusivity.

Maybe is only due to the fact Mr. Marquardt do not let them overcome the velvet rope!